Snow
by Poseidon's Favorite Girl
Summary: Snow. The word has so many meanings for Sally and Percy... Rated T for mentioned violence.


**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson.**

**Author's Note: A special thank you to those who review/follow/favorite. It makes me smile to see that so many people enjoy my stories. This one is for blue and silver marble unicorn who really encouraged me to start writing longer chapters/stories. I hope you enjoy this blue and silver marble unicorn.**

_Sally. Sally. Sally. I love you. Take care of him. Take care of Percy. Take care of him for me. I-_

"Mommy!" Sally woke up with a start. "Mommy look!" Her four year old was poised on the edge of her bed looking ecstatic. He pointed out the window with a huge smile on his face. "It's snowing!"

Sally turned her head. Percy was right. It was snowing. It was the first snow of the year and he had been waiting for _months_. Despite how much he loves the beach, he really _does_ love winter.

"Can I go play in the snow, _please_? I want to make a snow fort! Oh, Mommy! Can we go to the park? _Please_? There's more room to make a snow fort in the park! _Please_?"

Sally smiled. He looked so excited. There was _no way_ that she could say no to that. Whenever he wanted something really badly, he got this look in his eyes. Almost like puppy dog eyes but cuter somehow. "Sure, baby, we can go to the park."

Percy cheered, jumped of the bed and took off down the hallway. She could faintly hear him shouting, "We're going to the park!"

Sally chuckled, and then got out of bed knowing that Percy couldn't reach the spot that his boots sat in the closet.

O0o0o0o0O

Sally sat down on a park bench watching as her son played in the measly two inches of snow they got. How he was going to make a snow fort, she had no idea. _As long as he's happy,_ she thought to herself. He had found himself some friends to play with, a boy about 6 and a girl that looked to be around his age. They waddled around in their snow gear looking completely fascinated about the snowfall (or lack thereof).

By the time she and Percy had gotten to the park, the snowfall had almost completely stopped and now things weren't picking back up again. But she didn't want to leave, she _dreaded _it. She and Gabe had had a falling out the night before and she took Percy and left before things could get physical. Later that night, when they returned home, Gabe was gone. He didn't show up this morning either but she was _sure_ that he would be home by now, probably hung over.

When Gabe was _sober_ things were bad. When Gabe was _drunk_ things were worse. When Gabe was _hung over_ things were at an all-time low. She didn't fear for _herself_. She feared for _Percy_. Gabe always had a problem with him. When things were extremely bad (like she was sure they were going to be today), he would threaten to hurt him. She hated having to stay with him but there was nothing else she could do. Gabe saves Percy and endangers him at the same time. When she can, she takes the beatings for him but quite often she comes home to Percy crying. She wants to yell but she can't. It will only make things worse for him. Gabe will get more aggressive and Percy will become more scarred.

It took her a moment to notice that Percy was no longer in sight. She instantly panicked. Was it monsters? Can they smell him already? Is he okay? Was it Gabe? How did he find them? Where is he? What does he want? Why must he take it out on Percy?

Suddenly, something caught her eye. The boy Percy was playing with was standing near a tree at the edge of the park. He was looking up in the tree and laughing. She averted her eyes to see what he was seeing. Percy was sitting in the tree laughing like a hyena. She gave a sigh of relief and trudged over.

"Look Mommy! Andre taught me how to climb trees!" Percy said with absolute delight. He laughed when a squirrel ran along the branch above him causing the snow to fall on his head. "Do you know how to climb trees, Momma?"

"Yes, baby, I know how to climb trees."

"Who taught you how to climb trees? Was it Andre?"

Sally chuckled. "No, it wasn't Andre. Your Grandpa taught me how to climb trees. He was really good at it. We used to come to this very park and watch the squirrels in the trees. He would always try to catch the squirrels and bring them home to your Grandma. She loved squirrels. She thought that they were the cutest things."

"I'll catch a squirrel for you, Momma! Then we can bring it home and it can live in my room and I can feed it and we can get a box that it can sleep in and-"

"That's okay, baby. We don't need a squirrel. You're the little animal running around the house right now." She picked him up out of the tree and tickled him causing him to laugh. "The only difference is that you are cuter than any squirrel I have ever seen."

"I don't look like a squirrel at all! _Gabe_ looks like a squirrel!" Percy protested.

"Shhh, don't talk like that. That's naughty. You don't want your stepfather to hear you talk like that. He's… sensitive."

"Sorry, Momma. Can we go and get some ice cream? Then we can bring some home to Gabe so I can apologize to-"

"He's working late tonight," Sally managed to choke out. "You don't need to bring him any ice cream. We can get some for ourselves though. Come on."

Percy bid farewell to Andre and they turned to get some ice cream.

O0o0o0o0O

Sally and Percy walked into the apartment later that afternoon laughing. Gabe was home. He looked up from the TV, which Sally thought was strange. It was a Saturday afternoon. He and his friends should be playing poker. He looked at Percy, and then turned his eyes to her with a crooked smile on his face.

"Percy, go to your room and take off your snow clothes. Then, take a short nap, okay?" Sally said urgently.

"But, Mommy, I'm not tired!"

"We were out in the snow all day you must be tired. _Please_, just do it for Mommy, okay?"

Percy sighed. "Okay, Mommy." And he trudged off to his room.

Then, Sally turned to face Gabe preparing for the beating that was sure to come.

O0o0o0o0O

**3 Days Later**

Sally walked into the apartment after a long day at work prepared to just make dinner, shower and go to bed. All of her plans changed when she walked in to see Percy huddled in the corner crying and Gabe smugly watching some television show. She ran to Percy like any caring mother would.

"Percy! What's the matter?" He was to shook up to speak. She used this opportunity to assess the damage. He had bruise forming on his face and he was cradling his left arm. He had small scratches down his left cheek and when Sally looked closer she noticed that he was shaking. All she could see was red. She knew, just _knew_, that Gabe did this. He _hurt_ her little boy… and there was nothing she could do about it. Gabe kept him alive.

"Percy," she said gently. "What happened? What did you do?"

"I-" he stopped and looked at Gabe with fear evident in his eyes. "I apologized…"

Sally's confusion must have showed on her face because he elaborated. "I apologized for saying that he looked like a squirrel."

Sally wanted to cry. She thought that Percy would just forget about that. She had risen too much of a gentleman. Even though he hadn't said it to Gabe's face, Percy still felt guilty.

She gathered him in her arms and made soothing noises in his ears all the while planning Gabe's funeral.

O0o0o0o0O

**7 Years Later**

Sally and Gabe weren't speaking. They were fighting again. It was like this often. Always about things that didn't matter, things that no one should care about, things that should be easy problems to solve. He still threatened to hurt Percy and more than once he followed through. She had become extra careful. As Percy got older the beatings got worse. Gabe believed that he "should be able to handle more" and that he was "making him a better person". Sally believed that Gabe was a horrible person. What kind of monster could have given birth to such a _hateful swine_?

The argument was getting progressively worse and Gabe was getting that look in his eyes. The look that said "you're pushing me too far and you're going to pay for it". Sally braced herself for the pain.

"Mom," Percy suddenly appeared in the hallway. "It's snowing."

Sally knew what he was suggesting. "Snow" had become their safe word. The word that meant "we need to leave".

"Let's take a walk," he suggested. Gabe narrowed his eyes and gave Sally a look that clearly meant "we'll finish this later".

O0o0o0o0O

**5 Years Later**

Sally sat on the couch on a cold winter's day. It was snowing out and Sally couldn't help but think about Gabe. How _awful_ he used to be, so awful that she and Percy had to have a safe word.

Snow.

Snow.

_Snow._

The word meant so many different things now. It meant a reason to get out of the house in winter. It meant a way that she and Percy could escape from Gabe. It meant the first time that she and Paul had gone ice skating.

_Paul._ Oh, how much better he was than Gabe. So sweet and caring. Not abusive. He couldn't lay a _hand _on her _or_ Percy without beating himself up about it.

Sally went up to him in the kitchen where he was making breakfast and hugged him. "Thank you," she whispered.

He hugged her back willingly. "For what?"

"For being _you_."

**I hope you enjoyed it. I definitely had fun writing this one. Once again, this is for you blue and silver marble unicorn.**


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